Drugs worth Rs 55.92 lakh seized in Palghar; 3 Nigerians held
Palghar (PTI): Police have arrested three Nigerian nationals from Maharashtra's Palghar district and seized banned drugs worth Rs 55.92 lakh from their possession, officials said on Sunday.
Based on a tip-off, the Tulinj police laid a trap on Saturday night and nabbed the three persons from a room at Pragati Nagar in Nalla Sopara area, a police release said.
The police seized from them 554.02 gm of mephedrone worth Rs 55,40,200 and 2.63 kg of ganja worth Rs 52,000, it said.
The three Nigerian nationals, in the age group of 36 to 38 years, were arrested and booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
They were produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody till November 30, the release said.
The Tulinj police had two days back also arrested two Nigerians, including a woman, and seized from them prohibited items worth Rs 1,05,485, it added.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
